Future Nova

For Serious Enjoyment

Put the forward thinkers at Year One in a team, combined with the design and fabrication folks at ProMax/Venom, and here's what you come up with: this wild '67 is ALL aftermarket! From top to bottom, inside out, bumper-to-bumper, suspension, drivetrain, interior, you name it; it didn't roll off a factory assembly line and it's brand-new, not over 30 years old. Look closely and you'll even see some subtle differences between this car and its Nova cousin. For some changes, you don't even have to look very close.

Kevin King and the project team at Year One created this car to show the future of musclecars. Similar to what happened in street rodding, the supply of nice original sheetmetal has been in decline for some time. Often, when REALLY nice cars are found, they're too nice to cut up--enter the Venom. The windshield is raked slightly more than stock, the top is chopped a "skosh," the cowl-induction hood is a bit longer, there are no shock towers, and some slicing and shaving went on around the body. There's a "racey" look about it, but it can be built in many configurations.

3/5

A mild steel custom chassis, with a 109-inch wheelbase, is used and the car will be available from Year One in three packaged chassis, as customer use dictates. The ProMax chassis uses an A-arm frontend, Flaming River manual rack-and-pinion steering, and QA1 Proma Star coilover shocks with 450-pound springs.

4/5

Under the back, a 9-inch rearend with 4.10:1 Auburn Pro Posi gears is mounted on a triangulated adjustable four-link setup. QA1 Prom Star coilovers are also used here, but with 175-pound springs.

Not wanting to appear timid about power, a GM Performance Parts ZZ572 was installed to make the power. It's fitted with a custom intake from Hogan, upon which is mounted an AccuFab Cobra throttle body and a prototype Gen-7 EFI with coil-per-cylinder firing, all provided by DFI. That great cowl-induction hood has had plenty of engineering to make the best use of all the available air and put it into the engine.

5/5

Builders will be able to use any type of transmission from a Powerglide to a six-speed stick, but Kevin used a TCI 4L80E, and a 2800-3800-rpm stall TCI converter, shifted by a Hurst Quarter Stick. The main section of the glass body is made in one piece with lots of reinforcement and it's finished smooth enough to make show car builders happy. The profile of this car, in comparison to a stock model, shows a drop of over 7 inches in front and 3 inches in the rear. The side profile is angled 4 inches. When combined with modified rocker panels, it makes a great-looking "rake." As you probably noticed, the vent windows are deleted.

The paint is PPG Aztec Gold with Titanium Brown Trim, done by Lee's Collision Center in Loganville, Georgia. "Gunnison" wheels from Colorado Custom, 17X7 front and 18X10 rear, mount Nittos (225/40ZR17 front, 305/45ZR18 rear) and have the centers color coated to match some of the underhood colors. Year One's project team using AutoMeter gauges, Vintage Air cooling, and Glide Engineering seats created custom interior pieces. Henderson's Upholstery in Sugar Hill, Georgia did the stitch work. The stereo is an Alpine AM/FM/CD/DVD with a GVision 12-inch LCD monitor. Wiring is from StreetWires, and the multitude of speakers is from Kick, as is the amp.

6/5

The TV show "Rides" followed the progress of the car for about six months. The show has previously aired as a one-hour spot but may be viewed later at a rerun. For those of you who get a chance to see the car in person at an appearance by Year One, we know you will appreciate the work done on it so far. If you want one of your own, we know you'll have a blast as you move into the future!

COMMENTS

related articles

Check out this fully loaded 1970 Chevrolet Camaro which features a small-block LS7 engine, Quadralink rear suspension, a Tremec TKO 600 5-speed trans, and much more! Check out further vehicle specs and pictures at Camaro Performers Magazine. » Read More